Simulation education in the age of competency-based medical education: a study of the use of simulation-based education in Canadian emergency medicine programs.

Objective: In 2018, Royal College emergency medicine residency programs shifted to a competency-based medical education framework. This study sought to explore the impact of this transition on simulation-based education activities, including the use of simulation for assessment, in emergency medicine programs across Canada.

Methods: An interview guide was created by the authors evaluating the current role of simulation in emergency medicine programs based on the Core Components framework of competency-based medical education. Semi-structured interviews of emergency medicine simulation directors across Canada were conducted virtually between May 2022 and December 2022. Descriptive statistics of quantitative data are reported and qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Interviews represented 11/14 (78.5%) emergency medicine programs in Canada. Competency-based medical education national standards were commonly used to identify gaps in training experiences, particularly with high acuity low opportunity scenarios that could be addressed using simulation. Furthermore, competency-based medical education provided a framework where simulation curricula were revised and allowed for mapping of simulation scenarios to specific required training experiences and assessment requirements. All programs reported a new role of assessment in simulation largely in the form of entrustable professional activity assessments to satisfy the requirement of competency-based medical education. However, concerns were raised around the increasing role of assessment and its impact on psychological safety of the simulation learning environment.

Conclusion: The introduction of competency-based medical education has elevated the role of simulation as a means of assessing learner competencies. This shift has been largely positive, by facilitating resident assessment of required training experiences, but with some possible negative consequences related to the impact of assessments on the psychological safety traditionally afforded by the simulation environment. As such, educators must be intentional in how simulation is used in their program with particular attention given to the validity of assessments and the impact on safety of the learning environment.